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Police are warning women to be on their guard after linking two suspected sex attacks in Whitstable.
Officers have stepped up their presence in the area after the incidents last night.
DC Jamie Weale said: "We believe that the two incidents may be linked and have increased our police patrols in the area.
'In the meantime, we would ask people to be vigilant and to report any suspicious behaviour, no matter how trivial is may seem at the time.
"We advise people, particularly women, to stick to the main routes and thoroughfares. Avoid dark and unlit areas and don't walk alone at night."
Between 6.25pm and 6.45pm, a man was seen walking down Grimshill Road near the junction of Gosselin Street, indecently exposing himself.
He was seen by two teenage girls, who turned and walked in the opposite direction.
However, the man followed them and minutes later he assaulted one of the girls.
He grabbed her by the neck from behind, pushed her into a hedge and punched her in the head.
Her mother said her daughter cried in her sleep after the attack.
The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said: "She had been round a friend's house and was walking in Gosselin Street on her way home.
"The man was standing on the corner of Norman Road and as they walked past he exposed himself.
"He started following them and when they ran he ran after them.
"He grabbed her round the side of the head and punched her in the face, breaking her glasses.
"Her friend started screaming and then he ran off, he didn’t say anything to her.
"Afterwards she was really quiet and withdrawn. She waited for the police to arrive before telling me some of the details so I think she was worried about me and what I thought.
"She woke up once in the night crying. It’s her normal walking route and there has never been anything like this before. It is terrifying.”
A woman has also reported to police that she was walking along the Crab and Winkle Line in Whitstable at 6pm with her young daughter.
"She woke up once in the night crying. It’s her normal walking route and there has never been anything like this before. It is terrifying” - victim's mother
She was approached by a man who touched her in an inappropriate way over her clothing.
He is described as white, aged in his 30s and bald or balding.
He is between 5 ft 7in and 5ft 10in and was wearing black clothes, which may have been a tracksuit or dirty jeans.
He had a scarf covering his mouth and face and could have been wearing a fleece hat.
The man had a dirty appearance, smelled of alcohol and spoke with a local southern accent.
Witnesses or anyone with information is asked to contact DS Martin Glynn on 01227 868 278 quoting reference number ZY/2835/14.
